modi government

PM Modi stated, "It will add strength to our efforts to strengthen the tech and innovation system as well."

What will make the Vadinar Ship Repair Facility an optimal location for repair operations, particularly for large commercial and foreign‑flagged vessels, is its natural deep draft, connectivity to major shipping routes, and proximity to key ports such as Mundra and Kandla.

"This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development's language," Rahul Gandhi accused.

Land-locked or maritime-hesitant nations inevitably find themselves at the mercy of those who command the oceans. For India, blessed with one of the longest coastlines and a commanding position astride the Indian Ocean, the imperative is stark: it must fully realise its maritime potential or risk remaining a continental giant overshadowed by true blue-water powers.

The government's choice to develop Great Nicobar is not a concession to development lobbyists. It is the result of a collaborative process that included WII, ZSI, BSI, SACON, the EAC, the NGT, a public hearing in Campbell Bay, and the courts.

If anyone requires a practical demonstration of what it means to sit beside a critical strait and have the power to threaten, facilitate and weaponise global trade, Iran has been providing it since February 2026.

Even as the Central government has assured that no state, particularly, southern states, will lose even a single seat in absolute terms and that any increase will be allocated on a pro-rata basis, several anti-BJP parties and political ‘activists’ have started outrage.